OCU cleric: Moscow strikes Lavra because OCU is there now

OCU cleric Andriy Dudchenko. Photo: LB.ua

OCU representative Andriy Dudchenko, in an interview with LB.ua, said that the Russian side is guided by the logic of "if I can't have it, no one can." He believes that since the Lavra no longer "belonged to the Moscow Patriarchate," they decided to attack it with drones, specifically targeting "OCU members."

In the cleric's view, "this resembles the unhealthy feelings of a man toward a woman who rejected him, and he wants to take revenge on her." At the same time, the cleric acknowledged the paradox in his words, mentioning that the shelling also hits churches he himself attributes to the canonical UOC, including the Sviatohirsk Lavra and the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa.

Reflecting on the spiritual causes of the destruction, Dudchenko described the strikes on shrines as God's "pedagogical method," calling people to repentance. He drew parallels with biblical stories about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, as well as the story of Uzzah, whom the Lord struck dead for touching the Ark of the Covenant. According to the OCU cleric's logic, such events should serve as a "warning for the godless."

Furthermore, Andriy Dudchenko expressed the opinion that it is "right" for Christians to speak to God sincerely, even if those thoughts seem impious, and to ask Him for vengeance upon enemies. As justification for his position, he cited the example of King David's "cursing psalms," in which the author asks God for just punishment, so that "his children become orphans and his wife a widow."

As the UOJ reported, an OCU cleric urged not to treat monasticism like a "sacred relic".

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